It is 1924 in Tasmania. A boy holds a gun with black cockatoo perched on the barrel. A young woman stands beside him, cockatoo dangling from each hand. Who is she?
When I saw that arresting image at the Galley Museum in Queenstown, lutruwita/Tasmania, I was captivated. Determined to find out more, I spent several years interviewing Gert’s descendants, delving into the archives and immersing herself in the western wilds.
The result is ‘GERT’. With spoken word, music and projections, we visit Gert’s world of river, rainforest, mines, sawmills, music and family. This show is made for lovers of history, poetry, industry or the environment.
Newcastle might seem like a long way from the west coast of Tasmania. But I grew up with a metallurgist father in Wollongong, near Port Kembla, and regularly visited my grandparents in Newcastle, where my mother was born. I can’t help but attribute my affinity with industrial landscapes to a childhood spent in and around these heartlands.
GERT is showing at The Royal Exchange on:
• 7.30pm on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 March, and
• 11.00am on Saturday 28 March.
Tickets are on sale now, with a 10% early bird discount until 14 February. Get your tickets here: https://festival.newcastlefringe.com.au/events/gert-a-woman-a-place-a-story/